''Rhyme and Reason'' is an American television game show that aired on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
from July 7, 1975 through July 9, 1976.
Bob Eubanks
Robert Leland Eubanks (born January 8, 1938) is an American disc jockey, television personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show ''The Newlywed Game'' on and off since 1966. He also hosted the successful revamp version of ...
hosted the show, with
Johnny Jacobs
John Byron Jacobs (June 22, 1916 – February 8, 1982) was an American television announcer, often for Chuck Barris productions—namely, ''The Newlywed Game'' and ''The Dating Game''.
Early life
He was born in Wisconsin.
Early career Rad ...
serving as announcer.
William T. Naud created the series.
Game play
The show consisted of two contestants and a panel of six celebrities.
The object of the game was to get the celebrity to say a word the contestant had written down. Before each round of play, the contestants were shown two sentences (e.g. "There once was a man/Who lived in a box"). Using an electronic pen, the contestants wrote down a word which rhymed with the last word in the second sentence (the home audience was shown the contestants' words, but the panelists were not). Once the words were written, contestants (alternating turns) called upon one celebrity to devise a second part of the poem, hoping the last word the celebrity used would match the contestant's; doing so earned that contestant two points. If the celebrity guessed the opponent's word, the opponent received one point. If the celebrity said neither word, his/her opponent chose another celebrity.
Play continued on a poem if necessary until all six celebrities had attempted to match; if all failed, Eubanks introduced a new poem. If both contestants used the same word, only the contestant who chose the celebrity who ultimately used the word scored two points. The first contestant to score three points won the game and $250. The first contestant to win two games played for $5,000.
Bonus round
The winning contestant and a celebrity partner of his or her choice played for $5,000. Two lines were again shown to the contestant, who then wrote three rhyming words. The contestant and celebrity then had thirty seconds to match all three words. The clock began once the lines were first read to the celebrity, who then provided a rhyme for the last word in the line. The process repeated for the entire thirty seconds or until the celebrity matched all three words. Matching on each word won the contestant $1,000, and matching all three awarded the $5,000 grand prize. Champions retired after playing five bonus rounds or reaching the $20,000 winnings limit.
Broadcast history
''Rhyme'' marked Eubanks' return to daytime television, six months after ABC cancelled ''
The Newlywed Game
''The Newlywed Game'' is an American television game show that puts newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know or do not know each other. The program, originally create ...
''. Regulars on the show were
Nipsey Russell
Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' (Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, s ...
and (marital partners)
Charlie Brill
Charlie Sanford Brill (born January 13, 1938, Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor, voice artist, and comedian.
Acting
Brill's first motion picture was ''The Beast of Budapest''. He appeared in ''Blackbeard's Ghost'' and ''The Amazing Dober ...
and
Mitzi McCall
Mitzi McCall is an American comedian and actress.
Life and career
Television
In the early 1950s, then known as Mitzi Steiner, McCall had the ''Kiddie Castle'' program on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received national attention in 1 ...
.
Some critics consider the series to have been expressly designed for Russell's talents as "comedy's poet laureate".
First placed on the schedule at 2:30 PM (1:30 Central), it was beaten by
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
's ''
The Doctors''. On December 29, the series moved to 1:30/12:30, which had been the home for ''
Let's Make a Deal
''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...
'' since 1963 (1968 on ABC). ''Rhyme'' inherited the vastly-changed competition at that timeslot from ''Deal'', which now featured 60-minute versions of ''
Days of Our Lives
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' and ''
As the World Turns
''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...
'', two very popular serials.
''Days'' and ''ATWT'' overwhelmed ''Rhyme'' and the series ended its run two days after its first birthday. Its replacement would last nine times as long and would become television's most popular game within a year – ''
Family Feud
''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
The show has had three separate runs, the ...
''.
Music
The show's theme and cues were provided by
Score Productions
Score Productions is an American musical production company specializing in background music and themes for television shows. Started in 1963 in a brownstone townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan by music producer Bob Israel, Score has cre ...
. The main theme song was called "Hilltop" and composed by
Charles Fox.
The pilot featured a hodgepodge of music, including an instrumental version of
the Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes were an American rock band formed in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, and later based in Detroit, Michigan. They are best known for their only hit single, "Journey to the Center of the Mind". The band's name comes from the title of a ...
hit ''Journey to the Center of Your Mind'' as its theme song and the opening notes to
Perrey and Kingsley
Perrey and Kingsley (known also as "Perrey & Kingsley" or "Perrey-Kingsley") was an electronic music duo made up of French composer Jean-Jacques Perrey and German-American composer Gershon Kingsley. The duo lasted from 1965 to 1967 and both are ...
's ''The Savers'' (originally used on ''
The Joker's Wild
''The Joker's Wild'' is an American television game show that aired at different times between 1972 and 2019. In the show, contestants answer questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine. The show's ...
'') as a reveal cue, as well as recycling the game win cue from Eubanks' previous series, ''The Newlywed Game''.
Episode status
''Rhyme and Reason'' is believed to be
destroyed
Destroyed may refer to:
* ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds
* ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby
See also
* Destruction (disambiguation)
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a ...
as per network practices of the time. The pilot exists on video, and the finale–in which the celebrities began destroying the set as the show progressed, breaking props, tearing the carpet, and knocking down Bob Eubanks's podium–was discovered on audio tape in January 2011.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhyme And Reason
1975 American television series debuts
1976 American television series endings
1970s American comedy game shows
American Broadcasting Company original programming
English-language television shows